


A Very Special Trip

by UnsealingKale



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Girlfriends/No Wives, Christmas, Fancy Panties, Fluff, Kissing, Kissing in the Rain, Light Angst, M/M, Mythical Secret Santa 2020, Romance, Suggestive Themes, Van Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:08:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28072227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnsealingKale/pseuds/UnsealingKale
Summary: Rhett reflects on the past as he and Link travel and enjoy each other. Learning to be a couple is easy when you’re living the van life. This fic is for Mythical Secret Santa 2020.
Relationships: Rhett McLaughlin/Link Neal
Comments: 16
Kudos: 26
Collections: Mythical Secret Santa 2020





	A Very Special Trip

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thisiscyrene](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisiscyrene/gifts).



> This fic is a gift for Cyrene for Mythical Secret Santa 2020. I really hope you like it. Happy Holidays! ❤️

Link looks up into the early morning light, his chin tilted to the sky as he watches the fluffy white clouds drift by far overhead. Rhett has never seen anything quite so beautiful as the other man, and he makes a point to let himself focus on the thought and the feelings attached to it. There is no shame attached to those thoughts and feelings anymore. No guilt or fear. No need to immediately try to force the thought away. Instead, he lets the thought soak into his skin like the sun. Link is beautiful. He loves Link, and it’s okay. It’s more than okay. It’s good. It’s perfect. It’s right.

“Look, it’s a lemon,” Link says, pointing up. Rhett turns his gaze to the sky and quickly finds the cloud in question. It does indeed look like a lemon, round with slightly tapered sides.

“Pretty sure that’s a lime,” Rhett says, just to tease Link. He gets the expected displeased hum and frown in response. It makes him smile.

“It’s way too big to be a lime,” Link insists.

“When is the last time you saw a lemon as big as that cloud?” Rhett counters.

“Okay, fine. It could be either.” Link lies down on the picnic blanket and sighs dramatically, but Rhett knows that he’s not really mad. The shade tree nearby casts shadows on his face. He’s beautiful like that too.

“Nah, you’re right. It’s definitely a lemon,” Rhett agrees. He spreads himself out on the blanket beside Link, careful to avoid the sticky spot where Link had knocked over the bottle of maple syrup half an hour ago. Sharing a pancake breakfast under the dawn sky had been a new experience for both of them, but that was kind of the point. Living the van life has brought them a lot of new experiences. Good ones, mostly, as they learn how to be a couple instead of just best friends.

Rhett digs both of his heels into the grass, far too tall for the blanket. He takes Link’s hand in one of his own, entwining their fingers and settling their hands between their hips. Link turns his face to smile fondly at Rhett. “Love you,” he whispers, and squeezes Rhett’s hand.

“Love you too.” It still doesn’t feel weird to say it like that, without qualifiers. It didn’t even feel weird the first time. It just feels right. Like something they should have been saying all along. He leans over and kisses Link’s cheek, belly warmed by the happy sound he makes in response.

They watch the clouds for a while longer, until Barbara starts barking to let them know that she’s awake and ready for her own breakfast. They go feed her and Jade, and then take them for a walk beside the river. Link suggests that they go for a swim. He bends down to touch the water and shrieks at how cold it is. “Like liquid ice,” he swears, tucking his hand into his pocket. He shoos Rhett and the dogs away from the riverbank like a worried mother hen.

They spend the rest of the morning exploring the wooded park, playing tag and hide and seek along the jogging trail like they are children again. Rhett has never been happier. He’s thankful that Link talked him into going along on this trip. Sharing the tiny bed isn’t even so bad because now he can give into his desire to pull Link into his arms at night instead of trying to maintain some modicum of personal space. The first morning of their trip, he had woken to find Link stretched out halfway on top of him like some kind of living security blanket, still sound asleep. He had lied there in the semi-darkness and cried because he finally got to hold Link like he had always wanted to hold him. This trip was healing them both, replacing bad memories of trading heated kisses in their college dorm room and then pulling away, Link crying and begging while Rhett swore that it was all just a big mistake and he didn’t really mean it. It had never been a mistake. Now, at long last, he could erase those images of Link’s tear-stained face from his mind and replace them with ones of Link smiling with pink, kiss-swollen lips, his eyes soft with love and warmth.

“Whatcha thinking about?” Link asks, as they begin to walk back to the van around noon, both shivering as a gust of wind suddenly drops the air temperature. Rhett looks up at the sky. The clouds have grown dark and heavy. How hadn't they noticed sooner? He shakes himself out of his thoughts as Link bends over and picks Jade up, tucking her securely under his arm. She nuzzles into his chest. He gestures for Rhett to do the same with Barbara. “It’s going to rain. We’d better hurry.” There’s a pause. “Rhett? You’re being awfully quiet.”

“I was just thinking,” Rhett finally answers, as he settles Barbara against his chest. He picks up his speed back down the trail. It’s not too far back to the van, but he wants to stay dry if at all possible. He stops in his tracks when he realizes that Link isn’t beside him. He looks over his shoulder and finds Link frozen a few feet back down the trail. “What’s wrong?” Rhett calls, jogging back to him.

“You’re not thinking that you regret this again, are you?” Link asks in a tiny voice. The look of betrayal in his eyes makes Rhett’s heart plummet down into his stomach. “I mean, us? What- what we are now?”

Rhett can’t bear to do anything other than engulf Link in a one-armed hug as soon as he reaches him, careful not to jostle the dogs too much. “No! I was just thinking about how much I love you, and how stupid I was not to be honest about it sooner. I will never, ever regret this, Link. I never did.” They’ve talked it out several times, but the doubt is still there. Rhett knows it will take time for it to fade completely, and he’s more than willing to give Link all of the time he needs. He pulls Link even closer and smooches his forehead loudly. He sighs when Link giggles, and then the clouds burst and they are standing in the pelting rain.

It’s freezing, but Rhett bends down and gives Link a kiss anyway, soft and gentle, full of promises that he will keep. Link leans up into it, tasting like pancake syrup and sunshine, and Rhett barely feels the rain. His heated lips melt against Link’s, and he wonders again why he let so many years pass between them when he could have been kissing these lips every day. Link’s shivers bring him back to reality. He breaks the kiss and grabs Link’s hand, tugging him along. And they’re off, jogging back to the van as the rain falls and the dark clouds swirl above them.

After they climb back inside the van and dry off a little, Jade runs to her bed and curls up for a warm nap, while Barbara snuffles around the mini-fridge and whines. Link snorts and pulls a dog treat out from the bag on top of the fridge, tossing it to Barbara. “Like daughter, like father. Bet you’re hungry too, huh?” He looks at Rhett, smirking. He’s still shivering a little, his thin t-shirt clinging to his chest, but his eyes are bright again.

Rhett pats his rumbling stomach. “I could eat,” he admits. What can he say? He’s a big man with a big appetite to match. It’s well after noon, anyway. Past time for lunch.

“Let’s get changed and then we’ll see what we can do about that,” Link says, with a soft smile. Getting dressed in the van isn’t always easy, but they manage to change into dry clothes without too much trouble. Link slips on one of Rhett’s oversized sweaters and turns on the heater so that they don’t catch a chill. They have a nice air conditioning system in the van that lets them stay warm or cool, and makes sure the dogs are safe and comfortable when they have to stay inside while Rhett and Link are out. It’s one of the best features of the van, along with the decent gas mileage.

They eventually settle on driving a little farther to reach the next town when the rain dies down, where there is a famous fried chicken restaurant that they have heard a lot about but never had the chance to try. There is no wait thanks to the fading storm. They slide into the booth side-by-side, like they always do, knees touching, and look over the small menu. Link rests his head on Rhett’s shoulder while they wait for their food, and Rhett lets more good feelings wash over him as he takes comfort in the touch. Link is his boyfriend now. His boyfriend is pressed up against his side, breathing softly. His boyfriend. That fact is still new, but the love he feels isn’t. He wraps his arm around Link’s shoulders and hopes that Link knows how proud he feels to be his boyfriend out in public.

Rhett eats his own meal, two pieces of fried chicken and a pile of mashed potatoes and biscuits, and then he starts working on what’s left of Link’s chicken sandwich and fries. Link shakes his head but pushes his plate closer to Rhett. “Go on. I’m full,” he encourages. “You know, I’m going to have to buy a lot more groceries when you move in. You’ll eat me out of house and home if I’m not careful. It’ll be like our dorm all over again.”

Rhett knows that he’s teasing, but he blushes anyway. Then he realizes what Link said and looks up at him. Link’s own cheeks are pink, making his eyes seem even brighter than usual. “You want to live together?” Rhett asks. He had suggested sharing a home to save on bills when they had first moved out to California, but Link had quickly shut the idea down. Rhett had tried hard not to think about why, but his gut knew all along. Link didn’t want to go through the torture of living with him and still being just friends, like they had done in college.

“Well, yeah. I mean, if you want to. I think it would be nice.” Link shrugs like it doesn’t really matter, but Rhett knows that the gesture is anything but casual. Link is nervous, asking something important and special.

He drops his voice low and leans to whisper in Link’s ear. “I want to. Want to be close to you all the time. Want to kiss you whenever I want.” He kisses the soft spot below Link’s ear. “We can figure it out as soon as our trip is over. I’ll break my lease for you.”

Link grins bright enough to light up the whole restaurant. “Good.”

“Good,” Rhett echoes, and tosses the last two greasy fries into his mouth.

The meal settles on his stomach like lead bricks, so he insists on stopping at the next rest area for a nap while Link takes the dogs out for another short walk. It feels good not to be bogged down with any obligations for the time being. To be able to lie down in the middle of the day and close his eyes while he digests if he wants to. He dozes off and then wakes, briefly, when the bed dips and Link joins him, curling up next to him on the tiny bed. Rhett wraps his arms around Link’s middle and spoons close. Touching Link casually like this still feels like a small miracle. It’s something that he had wanted for so long, but always denied himself. He slips one hand up inside Link’s shirt just enough to feel the soft, smooth skin of his stomach, and dozes back off to sleep, surrounded by comfort and warmth.

The rest of the day passes slowly, spent driving to the next big destination on their list. Link has always wanted to go to stay at this little campsite they had passed while traveling before, and now seems as good a time as ever. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s nice and well-kept, and is surrounded by thick woods.

They pay for a spot for two nights and settle in for the afternoon. They watch a silly movie on Rhett’s laptop and laugh at how it reminds them of some of their own childhood antics. Link insists on salad for dinner, tired of the day’s rich meals. They walk the dogs again, and then they each take a long, warm shower at the camp’s public bathroom. Link does a couple loads of laundry as well. They make it back to the van just as night finally settles over the campsite.

“Feels good to be clean and have clean sheets,” Link says, as he sits down on their bed and pulls his legs up, crossing them in front of himself. Rhett sits down beside him. “I was getting pretty tired of bath wipes.”

“Yeah, me too,” Rhett agrees. The wipes were better than nothing, but it had been three days since they had last had access to a real shower, and they had both been feeling less than fresh.

“Hey, thanks for coming on this trip with me.” Link looks down and plays with a loose thread on his sweatpants. “I know you didn’t really like the idea. Especially with Christmas being so close and all. Can’t believe it’s tomorrow already.”

“I’m glad I came. You were right. We needed this time away to ourselves.” Rhett reaches over and squeezes Link’s shoulder. It’s hard to believe that their trip will be over in just a few days, after the weekend. “I wouldn’t have traded this time with you for anything. It’s been so much fun.”

“Yeah?” Link looks up, cheeks pink and eyes soft. Once again, Rhett thinks that he has never been more beautiful.

“Yeah. I’m so in love with you, and I’m going to tell you that every single day from now on. No more keeping secrets.” Rhett leans over and kisses Link’s cheek, feeling the flush of his skin through his lips. He nuzzles against Link’s cheek. “You’re so cute when you blush like that.”

“Hush.” Link shifts closer, his knee brushing against Rhett’s side. He brings one hand up to cup Rhett’s cheek. “I love you too. Never want you to doubt it.”

“I never have.” Rhett turns his head to press a kiss to Link’s hand.

Link smiles, showing his pointy bottom teeth. His blush grows even deeper, and he takes a deep breath before he speaks. Rhett waits patiently while he searches for the right words. “Hey, since it’s Christmas Eve, I have an idea,” he says, softly. “If you want.”

“What’s that?” Rhett asks. He’s up for anything, but the deepening blush on Link’s face makes him suspicious. He touches Link’s knee in support.

“I was thinking, maybe, we could do something a little special tonight. Since I’m dressed for the occasion and all.” Link looks away, down, anywhere but at Rhett’s face. He plays with the loose thread some more, twirling it around his finger.

“What special occasion needs a t-shirt and sweats?” Rhett teases.

“I don’t mean the sweats.” Link slowly unfolds himself and stands up, moving to face Rhett. He slips into the space between Rhett’s legs and takes his hands, guiding them to his narrow hips. He makes fleeting eye contact, nervous. “I mean what’s underneath. Go on. Look.”

Rhett slowly pulls down Link’s sweatpants, revealing a pair of red and white lacy underwear. He looks up at Link and smiles. “I see. This is very special indeed.” He tries to sound confident, but his voice almost breaks. They haven’t done anything beyond kissing yet, but here Link is, presenting himself, ready and willing, and Rhett will never turn him down. Not for anything.

“It can be an early Christmas present, if you want.” Link swirls his hips in a small circle between Rhett’s legs, showing off his fancy panties, as the sweatpants slip even lower down his thighs. It’s dangerously sexy, and Rhett finds himself growing aroused at the mere sight.

Rhett puts his hands on Link’s hips again, stilling him. “I want,” he breathes. “I definitely want.” He pulls Link closer, down into his lap. This present is very special, and he wants to savor it. “I’ve wanted this for so long. Can hardly believe this is real.”

“Me neither. Now go on. Aren’t you going to unwrap me?” Link giggles, and Rhett nods, and everything is perfect and as it should be.

They both enjoy the night, and the long life together that follows.

**Author's Note:**

> Please overlook any tense changes or mistakes. I’m not used to writing in the present tense, but I wanted to try it out for this fic. Thanks!


End file.
